Forming machine



Dec. 22, 1936.

J. 1.. SIMMONS FORMING MACHINE Filed June 26. 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet l am oaa/ J. L. SIMMONS FORMING MACHINE Dec. 22; 1936.

Filed June 26, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec.22,1936. SMMONS 2,065,102

FORMING MACHINE Filed June 26, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 J. SIMMONS FORMING MACHINE Filed June 26, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Gil Patented I Dec; 2 2, 1936 NITED STAT-ES FORMING mom James Lee Simmons,

Colmar Manor, Md, as-

signor to Engineering and Research Corporation, Washington, I).

District of Columbia Application June 26,

15 Claims."

This invention relates to forming machines and more. particularly to machines for forming propeller blades.

In the manufacture of propeller blades, and

particularly metallic propeller blades, rough forgings or blanks are made and these are finished by hand. This operation is extremely slow and expensive and requires much tedious work by skilled mechanics to obtain the proper configuration and balance. 1,336,659, granted April 13, 1920, I disclosed a machine for forming propeller. blades, particularly wooden or laminated blades, and the present invention is an improvement of the machine disclosed in this patent.

According to the present invention there is prov'ided a machine constituted by a work support mounted for straight line movement in a horizontal plane for carrying a blank to be finished. A carriage is mounted for reciprocation on a bed secured to a rod rotatably mounted on the machine and forming an elongated pivot extending at right angles to the direction of motion of the work support and is so balanced about the pivot that the correct pressure is exerted 'on the forming or 'cutting tool. 1 An electric motor mounted on the carriage to form a self contained unit causes the carriage to reciprocate and at the same time drives a rotary cutting or forming tool which forms the blank. The position of the carriage about its pivot and consequently the vertical position of the forming tool as it travels across the blank is determined by a pattern or cam rotatably mounted on an axisparallel to the carriage axis and engaged by a follower roller on the carriage so that as the carriage reciprocates the forming tool will be raised or lowered riage. The cam will be formed to correspond to the finished blade and can either be formed directly or a pattern can be made from which the finished cam is cast. Then upon again reversing the follower roller and cutting tool a number of blades can be made from the cam, each of which. 9 will correspond exactly to the blade from which the cam was made. Preferably a separate cam is made for each side of the blade and after one side is finished the blade is turned over and another cam mounted onthe machine for finishing the other side of the blade. As the work support is moved along the cam is rotated so that the portion of the cam corresponding to the section of the blade being formed at the time will be engaged by the follower roller.

This is preferably-done by the reciprocation of In my prior Patent No.

0., a corporation of the.

1934, Serial No. 732,543

the carriage, there being a member on the carriage adapted to engage lugs adjustably mounted on a rod which is slidably supported by the machine and which operates pawls engageable with gearing meshing with a rack on thework support and a gear drive for rotating the cam. By adjusting the lugs the amount of motion of the work support and of rotation of the cam for each movement of the carriage can be adjusted. The pawls are preferably double acting-so that the work support is advanced at each stroke of the carriage and the forming tool will cut a new portion of the blank on each stroke in each direction.

There is also provided another cutter for profiling the blade or forming the desired contour of its edges simultaneously as the first forming operation is preformed. This cutter is preferably constituted by an electric motor mounted at the side of the work support with its axis vertical and a frame pivoted about the motor axis and carrying a cutting tool driven by the motor. There is a pattern or cam mounted on the work support and a follower on the frame engaging the pattern so that as the work support moves along the cutter will be swung in or out to form the desired profile on the blade.

Other novel features and advantages and further objects of the present invention will appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention. I It will be understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not to be taken as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a disassembled head stock;

Fig. 4 is an elevation view of the work support; .Fig. 5 is a-perspective view of a modified form a of work support;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the feeding mechanism: and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the machine with the parts in a difierent position. than in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings there is shown therein a machine embodying the invention constituted by a base indicated generally at In adapted to rest on or be secured to the floor and a work support l2 carried by the base. The work support is constituted by a table portion 14 on which is slidably mounted a work sup porting bed It on which are mounted a head stock I6. and a. tail stock I9. The. head and tail stocks preferably have projecting portions fitting into a slot in the bed I 6 as clearly shown in Fig: 1 so v that they can be longitudinally adjusted to accommodate work pieces of diiferent sizes. The

- bed I6 is also provided with a rack 20 for moving the same as will be described hereinafter.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 3 there is shown a preferred form of head stock for finishing propeller blades as constituted by a member 22 adapted to be secured to the bed I6 and having a bore therein in which is rotatably mounted a cylindrical block 24 provided with a tapered arbor 26 accurately machined to fit into the tapered bore usually provided in the root end of a propeller blade such as that shown at 28. It will metrically opposed holes 30for use in mounting it on an aircraft and use is made of these holes to further align the blade by providing an elongated pin 32.,adapted to extend. through a slot 34 in the-block 24- and enter one of the holes 30 to determine the relative radial positions of the blade and block 24. The radial position of the block 24 in the member 22'is determined by a pin 36 extending through a'hole 38 in member 22 into a corresponding hole in block 24. When it is desired to turn the blade over to finish the other side the pin 36 is removed and put into a hole 40 axially displaced from hole 38 and. which corresponds with a second hole in the member 24 diametrically oppositeto the first so that when pin 36 engages the second hole turning of .the blade through. exactly 180 isassured. After the blade is in place it is securely clamped by a clamp 42 which engages the usual flange at the root end thereof and which has a tightening screw 44 engaging the end of block 24 to secure it to the blade. The tail stock I9 is provided with a centering pin 46 adapted to be inserted in a centering hole in thetip end of the blade to steady the same and adjustable supports are preferably provided along the length of the bed l6 to support the blade intermediateits ends during the forming operation.

As shown in Fig. 4 these supports are constituted by a base 48 adapted to'be secured to the bed and slotted legs 50 secured to the base by bolts 52- so that they, can be tightened at any desired point to support the blade as will be understood. Thus the blade will'be rigidly supported throughout its length and flexing or chattering thereof during the forming operation will be prevented.

In Fig. 5 there is shown a modified form of blade supportsj constituted by base members 64 and plates 56 secured thereto and having their upper'surfaces formed to fit the propeller blade.

Itwill be understood that this'form of blade support is intended to be usedawith blades one side of which has been finished so that the blade will accurately fit the upper surfaces of plates 56. .The plates are secured to the base members bysuitable fastening devices 58 and each plate is provided with a'pair of holes 60 through which pins on the base member extend to accurately locate I the'plate. If it is desired to form a blade of re,-' verse Ditch the plates 5.6 are-removed and turned :by a carriage indicated generally at" slidably mounted on a bed 12 which is rigidly secured to over so that they will properly support a blade slanting in the opposite direction. The plates 56 are preferably cut away. at the sides to varying degrees as indicated at62 so the upper surfaces thereof will vary in widthto correspond t the varying-widths of the propeller blade along its length In order to'further steady the blade during the forming operation there preferably is provided an arm 643pivoted to-the base I0 and carrying rollers 66 resting on the blade. The arm is urged downwardly by suitable means such as a weight 68 to force the blade firmly against its supports and eliminate any tendency to chatter.

I The forming mechanism proper is constituted an elongated rod I4 rotatably mounted on the base I0 and extending at right angles to the work support. The carriage is constituted by -an elongated base I6 which slidably engages the bed 12 and to which is secured a suitable electric motor I8. The motor is drivably connected through a belt with a worm 82 mounted in a casing 84 which is secured to the base 16. A worm gear86 in the casing 84 meshes with the worm and has a central shaft 88 projecting upwardly through the casing'to which is secured a slotted arm 90. A suitable bolt 92 extends into the slot 90 so that'it may be secured atany desired point and has pivoted 'at its upper end a link 04 which is pivoted at.its oppositeend to a bolt 96. The bolt 96 extends into a slot in a member 98 so that it can be secured at any point inthe length of the slot. The member 98 is slidably keyed w the rod I4 and is adjustably held against length= wise movement thereon by a bolt I00 rotatably secured to the member 96 and threaded through a member I02 which is rigidly secured to the rod I4. By adjusting the bolt I00 the position ofthe carriage withrespect to the 'rod 14 can be adjusted while the lengthv of the stroke of the carriage can be adjusted by moving the bolt 92 along the rod 90. If desired a quick return motion; that is a faster motion in one direction than in the other, can be attained by moving bolt 96 along the member 98 to either side of the center, the difference in speed of the strokes in opposite directions and the direction in which the quick returnoccurs being determined by the 1 direction and amount of movement from center of the bolt 66.

A suitable forming tool shown as a rotary cutter I04 is mounted '.0Il a shaft I06 rotatably a mounted in bearings at one side of thecarriage,

the shaft being provided with a pulley I00 which is drivably connected with a pulley. I I0 on the motor shaft by a suitable belt. As the carriage I reciprocates the cutter passes across the work piece or blade and forms the same in a manner to be more fully described hereinafter.

Inorder to control the position of the car riage about its pivot and hence the vertical relation of the cutter with respect to the work supportand work piece, a suitable cam or pattern H2 is provided mounted on arotatable axis on the'bas I0 parallel to the pivot rod 14. A roller or follower H4 is connected to an axle II6 whichis rotatably mounted on the carriage and which has a pulley IIO secured thereto for a purpose to appear hereinafter. The vertical position of the axle I I6 Withrespect to-the carriage can be adjusted by a suitable screw I20 thus varying the 1 vertical relation of the cutter with-the cam and providing a convenient meansfor'regulating the 75 'depth of cut taken by the cutter. It will be understood that the carriage is so balanced about the pivot rod 14 that it tends to tip in the direction of the cam, being prevented by contact of the roller with the cam, and that the balance is so regulated that the optimum pressure for proper operation of the machine is obtained.

In order to move the work support and rotate the cam the mechanism illustrated particularly in Fig. 6 is provided. This mechanism is constituted by a rod I22 slidably mounted on the base I0 and having lugs I24 adjustably secured thereto. An arcuate member I26 is secured to the carriage and engages one of the lugs I24 at each stroke of the carriage to slide the rod I22 longitudinally. To the rod I22 is secured a rod I28 the end of which is pivoted to an upright I30 rigidly connected to one end of a bell crank lever I32. The center of the bell crank lever is pivoted on a fixed pivot I34 on the base I0 and at its other end is pivoted to a link I36 which is pivoted to a bar I38. The bar I38 is pivoted to and supported by arms I40 which are pivoted on the base I0 and a pair of reversible pawls I42 are likewise pivoted to arms I40 by pins I44. At the upper end of each pawl is pivoted a rod I46 extending through a bracket I48 and a spring I50 surrounds the rod. I46 and acts between a shoulder thereon and the bracket I48 so that the pawl and rod form a toggle whereby the pawl will constantly be urged in one direction or the other. Each pawl is provided with a bifurcated arm I52 rigidly secured thereto and a pin I54 on a vertically adjustable arm I56 is engaged by the bifurcated arms I52 for tilting the pawls to adjust their direction of engagement.

The arm I56 is slotted and a pin I58 secured to the bar I38 passes through the slot to guide the other pinion same. At its lower end the arm I56 has rack teeth meshing with a pinion I60 secured to a rod I62 which extends through to adjacent the work support and has secured at its opposite end an- I64. The latter meshes with a pinion I66 whichis secured to a shaft I68 journaled in the base I0 and which has at its forward end a suitable handle I10. By turning the handle I10 the arm I56 may be adjusted vertically through the intervening gearing to adjust the pawls for engagement in the desired direction through the pin I54 and arms I52 or to hold the pawls in their central position so that they will not engage in either direction. It will be noted that the pawls act in opposite directions so that no matter which direction they are moved one of them is operative thus resulting in a double acting feed as will appear hereinafter.

. Mounted on the base I0 in a position to be engaged by the pawlsare a pair .of intermeshing gears I12 and I14, the gear I12 being mounted on a stub shaft and the gear I14 being mounted v on a shaft I16 which extends through the front of the machine. A pinion I18 is secured to shaft I16 adjacent the work support and meshes with a gear I which is mounted on a stub shaft I and which meshes with the rack 20 on the work port in the same direction, the direction of motion of the work support being reversed by operating handle I10 to reverse the directionof engagement of the pawls. A crank I82 is preferably secured to the end 9f shaft I16 for moving the work support byhand to any desired position. The cam I I2 is preferably rotated by the same mechanism through a pinion I84 secured to; the

shaft I16 and meshing with an idler pinion I86 which has bevel teeth I88 formed on one of its faces in mesh with a bevel gear I90 on aworm shaft I92. A worm gear I94 meshes with the worm I92 and is secured to the cam supporting axle so that as shaft I16 rotates the cam II2 will be rotatedu Gear I86 and worm I92 are preferably mounted on a pivoted plate I96 adapted to be swung out and secured by a bolt I98 for versed and the belt removed from pulley I08 and placed around pulleys I I0 and I I8, an idler pulley 200 preferably beingprovided' to enable the belt to clear the parts of the machine. A sheathing of wood or other suitable material indicated at 20I (Figa'l) is preferably built up around the edges of the blade to prevent the roller from dropping off of the blade too abruptly during the cam forming operation. Upon closing afsuitable control switch 202 the motor is started and causes rotation of arm 90 through the worm 82 and worm gear 86, the arm 90 and link 94 actingas a crank mechanism to cause reciprocation of the carriage. As the carriage reciprocates the roller rolls across the blade and causes the carriage to swing about its pivot according to the contour of the blade thus moving the cutter which is simultaneously, driven by the motor, toward and away from'the cam blank and cutting a contour on the cam corresponding exactly to the contour of the blade at that point. To-

ward the end of each stroke of the carriage the member I26 strikes one of the lugs I24 to move rod I22 longitudinally and rock the pawls I42 to simultaneously feed the work support along and rotate the cam blank, theamount of feed at each stroke being governed by the adjustment of the lugs on the rod. Thus at each stroke of the carriage a new section of blade is under the roller and a new section of cam under the cutter so there will be a section of cam for every section of blade. If desired the cam may be out directly as described above or a wooden block maybe placed in the machine and used as a pattern from which to cast a cam from any suitable metal. Preferably a separate cam is made for each side of the blade but if desired a single cam may be used, half of its surface being formed from one side of the blade and the otherhalf from the other.

After the cam is completed the position of cutter I04 and roller H4 is again reversed and a work piece or blank mounted in the work support. Upon starting the motor again the position of the carriage about its pivot and consequently the position of the cutter will be controlled by the cam II2 so that the blank will be formed according to the configuration of the cam and will be an exact duplicate of the finished blade from which the cam was formed.

If it is desired to form a blade corresponding to the first except that it is opposite in pitch the cam I I2 is turned end for end and an idle pinion is inserted between the gears I84 and I86 to reverse the direction of rotation of the cam. Then upon operation of the machine a blade will be formed whose proportions and dimensions are the'same as the first but whose pitch is reversed. The same result can be attained by leaving the cam and reversing the .head and tail stock to turn the blade end for end, the direction of rotation of the cam "being reversed by insertion of the idler "pinion as described above.

If desired a safety switch may be provided to stop the motor when the work support has moved to a point where the cutter is over the end of the blade or is as'close thereto as it is desired for it to go. As shown in Fig. 1 such a device is constituted by a switch 204connected in thepower circuit to the motor and having an operating arm 206 adapted to be engaged by a pin 208 adjustably mounted on the bed It. By this construction when the bed has been moved to the point where pin 38 strikes arm 206 the switch 204 will be opened and the motor stopped. I

, A foot pedal 2H) having a latch 292 is also preferably provided for raising the carriage about its pivot to raise the forming tool from the work when desired. This pedal has an upwardly extendingarm 2| 4 connected through "a rod or chain 2| 6 to one leg of a bell crank lever 218 which is pivoted to the base Ill. The other end of the bell crank lever is connected through a link 220 with one end of the member 98 so that -when the pedal is depressed member 98-and the carriage will be rocked and the forming tool lifted from the work, the parts being held in this position by the latch 2l2 engaging with a pro-- jecting surface on the base Hi.

In order to profile the blade or cut the proper edge contour thereon, there is provided a second motor 222 (Fig. 2) mounted adjacent the work. support-with its axis vertical. Pivotally. mounted about the axis of the motor is a frame 224 having v a forming cutter 226 rotatably mounted at its upper portion and a follower roller 228 at its lower portion. The cutter is driven by the motor through a suitable belt 230 acting over pulleys on the motor and cutter and a spring 232 is connected to the frame 224 and a stationary part of the machine to bias the cutter toward the blade. The

cutter is in theplane of the blade edge and the follower 228 is in the plane of and engages acam,

guide 234 mounted on the work support and movable' therewith. The cam guide is preferably in the form of an Lbeam with one edge formed according to the desired contour for one side of the blade and the other edge for the other side of the blade. Thus when one side of the blade is finished and the blade is turned over it is only necessary to turn the cam 234 over to provide the correct guiding surface for the other edge of the blade. The

motor 222 is connected in the same circuit as motor 18 and is controlled by the switches 202 and 204 so that both motors will. operate simultaneously. y

In the operation of this part of the mechanism the cam 234 may be formed by reversing the cutter I 226 and roller 228 and shifting the belt 230 to drive thecutter at the lower part of the frame. Then exactly to the edge of the finished blade. 70'

with a finished blade which is to be copied in the work support the frame 224 will be swung in and out by the follower according to the contour of the blade as the work support moves along and the cutter will form the cam to correspond Upon again reversing the cutter and follower and operating the machine with a blank on' the work support and the roller engaging the cam 234", the edge of the blank will be'cut to conform exactly to the.

configuration of the cam which is exactly the same as that of the edge of the pattern blade.

Thus there is provided by the present invention a novel forming machine particularly adapted for finishing metal propellers in which a blade can be quicklyand accurately finished and in which any number of blades of exactly the same dimensions and configuration can be produced. There is further provided a novel machine in which a.

cam can be made from a pattern blade and any number of other blades can be produced from the cam. The machine also provides a novel and convenient apparatus for profiling the blades quickly and accurately simultaneously as the faces thereof are being formed. The provision of the pivoted'-.i carriage enables proper pressure on theforming 'I-"J tool to be easily and readily obtained while mount ing of the motor on the carriage and operation trated machine is particularly adapted for finishing metal propeller blades it will be apparent that many other articles might be finished'thereon or that other changes of a similar nature might be made. Reference will, therefore, behad to the appended claims to determine the scope of the invention. r

What is claimed is:

1. A forming machine comprising a base, a work support carried by the base, a carriage slidably mounted on the base on a pivot extending at anangle to the work support to reciprocate transversely of the work support, a forming tool mounted on the carriage and a pattern for determining.-

the position of said carriage about its pivot.

2.- A forming machine comprising'a base, a work support carried by the base, a carriage slidably mounted on the base on' a pivot extending at an angle to the work support to reciprocate transversely of the work support, a forming tool mounted on the carriage, power means on the carriage for operating the forming tool, and a pattern for determining the position or said carriage about its pivot.

3. A forming machine comprising a base, a work support carried thereby, a carriage pivotally and reciprocably mounted on the base to reciprocate transversely of the work support, a forming tool mounted on the carriage and reciprocable transversely across the work support, powermeans for reciprocatingthe carriage and means for de termining the position of the carriage about its pivot. I 4. A forming machine comprising a base, a work support carried thereby, a carriage pivotally and reciprocably mounted on the base, a forming tool mounted on the carriage, power means mounted on the carriage for reciprocating the same, and for operating the forming tool and means for determining the position of the carriage about its pivot.

5. A forming machine comprising a base, a work support mounted on said base for straightline I movement, a carriage slidably mounted on said base on a pivotjextending at an angle to. thework: 3 f

, a forming tool carried by said carriage and mova-' support for pivotal and reciprocating movement,

ble across said work support, a movably, mounted pattern fordetermining the position o'f 'sa idfo ing tool about its pivot, means for reciprocating said carriage, and means operated by the movement of said carriage for moving said work support and said pattern.

A forming machine comprising a base, a work support mounted on said base for straight line movement, a carriage mounted on said base for reciprocating movement, a forming tool carried by said carriage and movable across said work support, a movably mounted pattern for determining the vertical position of said forming tool with respect to the work support, means for reciprocating said carriage, and means operated by the movement of said carriage for moving said work support and said pattern, said last named means including a rod slidably mounted on said base, lugs adjustably mounted on said rod whereby the amount of movement of the work support and pattern for each movement of the carriage can be adjusted, a train of gearing having'one element engaging the work support and another engaging the pattern, reversible pawls engaging said gearing and connected to said rod to be operated thereby, means for determining the operating direction of said pawls, and a member carried by said carriage for engaging said lugs as the carriage reciprocates.

'7. A forming machine comprising a movably mounted support for an article to be copied, means mounting said support for straight line movement, a pivotally mounted carriage reciprocably mounted on a pivot at an angle to the support for movement across said support, a guiding member carried by the carriage and engaging the article to be copied to determine the position of said carriage about its pivot, supporting means for revolvably mounting a cam blank, and a forming tool carried by said carriage for forming said cam blank.

8. A forming machine comprising a movably mounted support for an article to be copied, means mounting said support for straight line movement, a pivotally mounted carriage reciprocably mounted on a pivot at an angle to the supportfor movement toward and away from said support, a guiding member carried by the carriage and engaging 'the article to be-copied to determine the position of said carriage about its pivot, supporting means for revolvably mounting a cam blank on an axis at an angle to the Work support, a forming tool carried by said carriage for forming said cam blank, and power means for reciprocating the carriage whereby said guidin'g member will be moved across the article and the forming tool will be moved across the cam blank.

9. A forming machine comprising a base, a work support carried by the base, a carriage slidably mounted on the base on a pivot extending at an angle to the work support to reciprocate v transversely of the work support, a forming tool mounted on the carriage, and a rotatable pattern for determining the position of the carriage about its pivot, the axis of rotation of said pattern being substantially parallel to the pivotal axis of said carriage.

10. In a machine for forming propeller blades of non-circular cross section, a work support comprising a table, head and tail stocks on said table to engage the ends of a blank to be formed,

and a plurality of independently adjustable supports on said table between the head and tail stocks and engageable with the lower surface of the blank to support the intermediate portions of the blank and means engaging the upper surface of the blank to hold the same against said supports.

1 1. In a machine for forming propeller blades of non-circular cross section, a work support comprising a table, head and tail stocks on said table to engage the ends of a blank to be formed, supports on said table between the head and tail stocks and engageable with the lower surface of the blank to support the same and means engaging the upper surface of the blank to hold the same against said supports.

12. In a machine for forming propeller blades of non-circular cross section, a work support comprising a table, head and tail stocks on said table to engage the ends of a blank to be formed,

supports on said table between the head and tail stocks and engageable with the lower surface of the blank to support the same and means movable relatively to the blank and engaging the upper surface thereof to hold the blank against said supports.

13. In a machine for forming propeller blades of non-circular cross section, a .work support comprising a table, a plurality of rigid supports on said table on which oneside of a blank to be formed rests, and means engaging the other side of the blank to hold the same against said supports.

14. A forming work support slidably mounted on said base to rigidly support a blank to be formed, an elongated rod extending at substantially a right angle to said work support, a carriage pivotally and slidably mounted on said rod, a motor mounted on said carriage, means on said carriage driven by the motor and connected to a relatively stationary part of the machine to reciprocate the carriage on the rod, a shaft on said carriage subtern rotatably mounted on a shaft parallel to said rod to be engaged by said followerfor limiting the pivotal position of the carriage about the rod.

15. A forming machine comprising a base, a work support slidably mounted on said base to rigidly support a blank to be formed, an elongated rod extending at substantially a right angle to said work support, a carriage pivotally and slidably mounted on said rod, a motor mounted on said carriage, means on said carriage driven by the motor and connected to a relatively stationary part of the machine to reciprocate the carriage on the rod, a shaft on said carriage substantially parallel .to the work support for carrying a cutting tool, means for drivably connecting said shaft to the motor, a second shaft on the carriage parallel to and spaced from the first shaft for carrying a follower, and a pattern rotatably mounted on a shaft par allel to said rod to be engaged by said follower for machine comprising a base, a

limiting -the pivotal position of the carriage 

